Breathless
by Dream Out Loud 18
Summary: Sadie chose Anubis at the end. Heartbroken, Walt went to Jaz for comfort. How will this little meeting end? Salt and Sanubis at the beginning, Jalt at the end.
1. Breathless

**This is the main reason why I wrote this fic: WHY AREN'T THERE MANY STORIES ABOUT JALT? I mean, there are **_**plenty **_**of Jalt shippers in this archive. *sighs***

**Second reason: THE JAZ INSIDE OF ME IS FALLING IN LOVE WITH CARTER, AND JARTER IS TOO DAMN CUTE FOR THEIR OWN GOOD, SO I'M TRYING TO GET MY JALT LOVE BACK BY WRITING THIS.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Kane Chronicles. Rick Riordan does. Lucky.**

**NOTE: This will be a one-shot, plus an Epilogue after this. So, technically, a two-shot, but if an Epilogue is counted as a chapter...**

**Also, some part of the Jalt is from an RP I'mDifferent-GetOverIt and I did, so please give her credit, too! I don't own what she wrote!**

**Breathless**

"_What?"_ Walt Stone stared at Sadie Kane, then at Anubis, then at their hands. Sadie and Anubis were holding hands, Anubis drawing circles on the back of Sadie's.

Sadie sighed. "I chose Anubis, Walt."

"But, but, b-but—_why_?" Walt demanded, his heart breaking slowly.

"Because...Walt, you're a great guy, no doubt. But I love Anubis. I'm sorry, Walt. Can we at least stay as friends?" Sadie tried for a smile.

Walt felt his heart break. His hearing got distant. He felt himself nod.

"Sadie, we better be going," he heard Anubis whisper, but it was far, far, away, and just an echo in his head.

He heard the door slam shut. He sank down a sofa, blinking, his head light, but that was because his breathing was uneven and he wasn't breathing very well.

Sadie had been his _world_. His reason for going to Jaz for a cure, his reason for fighting the pain, his main reason for wanting to _live_.

And now she was gone. She went after some 5,000-year-old god that might not even care for her. Not the way Walt cared for her. Walt was willing to give up the _world_ for Sadie. What would Anubis do for her? Give up going to a funeral for her?

Walt blinked, realizing he had tears running down his cheeks. He didn't care if someone saw. Nothing mattered anymore.

Suddenly, he found himself walking towards the dorms. Instead of walking towards his to cry all he wanted, he was walking towards the one next to his. Jaz's.

_Let's see if Carter is right about her comforting skills,_ he thought dully, faintly remembering the time Zia left Carter and the combat magician went to Jaz for comfort. How did _that _end?

To describe what happened in four words: an epic love blob. But Carter came out of Jaz's dorm happy.

Walt stopped in front of her door and knocked. No answer. Frowning, he knocked again. Silence. Getting a bit worried over his heartbroken state, he walked into her room.

Jaz had her back to the door, sitting on her bed. She had a binder opened next to her, filled with a bunch of music papers of songs that Walt couldn't really read the titles—but at the moment, he didn't really care.

On Jaz's other side laid an iPod Touch, with the cover of some album on the screen. The earbuds were in Jaz's ears, and she was holding a guitar.

Walt wanted to talk, yell, just make some sort of noise. But for some reason, he didn't want to intrude Jaz's music time. He backed up the room slowly, watching what Jaz was doing.

She was listening to a song, and was playing her guitar, looking at the music sheet. After a moment, she put the song on pause and played the guitar alone. She wrote something down in the blank sheet of paper that was next to the music sheet with the pencil behind her ear.

Walt almost reached the door when Jaz suddenly spoke. "What's wrong, Walt?"

He froze. "How did you know it was me?"

She turned to him, grinning, pointing to the glass doors. Then she looked at him and her smile faded. She closed the binder, stuffing it in a box, before kicking the box under her bed. She put her guitar to the side and took out the earbuds from her ears, making Walt remember all those times Sadie had done the same thing...more tears fell from his eyes, down his cheeks, and onto Jaz's dorm floor. His breathing became uneven.

Sensing something was wrong, Jaz stood up and grabbed Walt's arm, dragging him to sit on her bed. Walt had now let the sadness overtake him—he sobbed, shaking, not paying attention to the world around him.

Jaz sat him down on her bed, whispering, "Stay here" before standing up, coming back seconds later with a mug of hot chocolate. She tried to give it to Walt, but he was so unstable that Jaz gently held his hands open, making him hold the mug.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking a shaky sip.

Jaz wiped his tears away with her thumbs, her hands on his cheeks. "What happened, Walt?"

He frowned. She was talking. But what was she saying? It's like he had gone deaf...

Frowning, Jaz's hands went to her side, before grabbing his hand. An odd sense of calm washed over Walt, like he usually had when he was around Jaz. He took a deep breath. "Sadie chose Anubis," he whispered.

"I see." Jaz frowned, knowing exactly how much Walt likes Sadie. "I'm here for you, Walt." She smiled. Walt returned it, but it was a weak smile.

"You can cry on my shoulder, you know."

Without hesitating, Walt buried his face in Jaz's shoulder, sobs wrecking his body as Jaz wrapped her arms around him.

Her fingers traced circles on the back of his hand. The tips of her fingers were calloused, and he had always wondered _why_.

Now he knew. It had to do with guitar strings.

Healer, cheerleader, now guitarist—Jaz Anderson couldn't stop surprising him. **(A/N: My awesome sister, FlameTamer16, came up with this last name for Jaz.)**

Walt took a sip of hot chocolate...and swallowed a mini marshmallow. He smiled.

"You like hot chocolate with mini marshmallows also?" he asked softly. Jaz nodded.

###

Jaz Anderson was being killed.

Well, not literally. But it killed her to see Walt so depressed and sad and just plain emo. She wanted to comfort him. But she didn't know _how_. With Carter, she could comfort him easily, since Zia was her best friend. But Sadie...Jaz and Sadie were friends, no doubt, but when it came to guys...

Jaz shook herself mentally and focused on what Walt was saying.

"—om used to give me this all the time, when I had the..." He trailed off.

"Pains?" she asked softly. He nodded, looking at the half-drained mug, then looked up at Jaz, smiling, his bloodshot eyes slowly returning to normal.

"Thanks for listening and comforting me," he thanked, his voice soft and warm.

"Anytime, Walt. Anytime." She smiled at him, locking her gaze with his.

Something inside of him clicked, and he found himself leaning in, closer to Jaz.

Jaz's heart pounded. She wouldn't deny it—she had always had a crush on Walt. Always—which is why she accepted his request to help him find a cure without hesitation, as others might have.

Walt's face was centimeters from hers. Walt stared into her azure eyes he had always be looking at for hours in the library...

Oh, what the heck. He had nothing to lose. Sadie already left him.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jaz's.

He suddenly felt so _happy_ he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Jaz wrapped her arms around his neck.

As they kissed, Walt realized something. He didn't love Sadie. Yes, he liked her, but he didn't love her. He had been in love with Jasmine Anderson all this time.

Maybe Carter was right. Maybe Walt really _was_ blind. Blind to just simply not realize his feelings for Jaz. Blind for not realizing that she loved him. Blind for not noticing that, even if Sadie liked him, she loved Anubis. Blind to not realize he was in love with Jasmine "Jaz" Anderson.

He pulled away as he felt all the air in his lungs gone. He stared into Jaz's bright blue eyes, and again smacked himself mentally for liking Sadie, for she was nothing compared to the blond healer in his arms.

"Jaz..." Walt slid a hand behind her cheek.

"Walt..." she whispered.

"I was an idiot, you knew that?"

"You weren't an idiot."

"Yes I was. I was an idiot for liking Sadie when I had this amazing and beautiful girl in love with me. I'm sorry." He kissed the tip of her nose. She smiled.

"Well, I guess that is classified as 'idiot'. But, Walt...what does this make us?"

"Well..." He kissed her forehead, then pulled away and stood up, pulling Jaz up with him. He grabbed her hands. "Jasmine Anderson, would you be my girlfriend?"

He knew this was a bit rushed, but as soon as he finished talking, he knew it was the right thing. He loved Jaz. He really does, and he will be at her side, forever and for always, no matter what happened to him. **(A/N: YAY FOR SHANIA TWAIN!)**

"Yes, Walter Stone." She smiled at him, stood on her tiptoes (due to the fact Walt was a good five inches taller than her) and kissed him.

Walt deepened the kiss, realizing that he had just called her Jasmine, and he didn't turn into shrub. He smiled against her lips.

###

"I'll see you tomorrow, Walt." Jaz smiled up at Walt. He returned the smile and kissed her forehead.

"Love you, Jaz."

"Love you too, Walt."

Smiling, he walked to his dorm, thinking, _Well, Carter _was_ right. Jaz sure can comfort people darn well._

*::*::*

**I must say...writing this sure made me love Jalt. :3 R&R! If you don't like it, just simply don't review. As simple as that.**


	2. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

**Epilogue**

_**Sixteen years later**_

"YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

That was how the residents of the Stone-Anderson household was awaken that Saturday morning. 32-year-old Walt Stone sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes. His wife, 32-year-old Jaz Stone, née Anderson, was covering her head with her pillow. Walt smiled.

"I'm guessing it's my turn to control them," he muttered to her.

"Duh. I let you sleep in last time while I controlled them," came her muffled and annoyed reply. He smiled again and rolled out of bed, slipping on the amulet that kept him alive, and walking to his 9-year-old daughter's room.

When he opened the door, he was met with the sight of his daughter, Jade Stone, running after his 10-year-old son, Jesse Stone, who was running away from her. Walt's eldest son, 11-year-old Brian Stone, was on the floor, laughing.

"Dad, protect me from Jade!" Jesse hid behind his father, his brown eyes filled with fear.

"Come back here, Jesse Stone!" Jade yelled. Brian, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, grabbed his younger sister around her waist. Her blond hair flew as she tried to squirm out of her brother's grasp. "Let me go, Brian!"

"Sis, calm down," he whispered.

"No!"

"What is going on here?" Walt demanded. Brian's bright blue eyes, so much like his mother's, met his father's eyes.

"Um, well, you see, Jesse put a snake _shabti_ in Jade's bed, and...well..." Brian shifted uncomfortably. Jade glared at Jesse, who was hiding behind his dad.

"You _know_ I have snake-phobia!" Jade yelled at Jesse.

"Technically, the proper name is—"

"I don't _care_ about its proper name! You know I'm afraid of them!"

"Jade." Walt stepped forward and took Jade into his arms, his brown eyes meeting identical ones. "Would it calm you down if I told you that Jesse is grounded for a week?"

"Dad!" Jesse protested, putting his hands on top of his buzz-cut dark brown hair, his tanned skin completely pale.

"Yes." Jade smirked. "Ground him for a week without video games or seeing his precious Ruby."

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Did I say she was?"

"..."

Brian laughed, and Walt had to fight back a smile. "OK. He will only see her when she visits. But other than that, he can't visit her or contact her. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Dad!" Jesse protested, glaring at his tanned skin sister, who smiled angelically at him and skipped back to her bed.

Brian checked the watch and yawned, patting his hair, identical to his brother's. "I'm going to go back to bed...it's only 7 AM." Yawning, the African American waved and left his sister's room.

Jesse sent Jade one final glare and stormed out of the room. Jade got under her covers and yawned, her eyes closing. Smiling, Walt went back his room, where Jaz was fast asleep, breathing in and out, as if in pattern.

Walt yawned and crawled in next to her.

###

"Do you think she's dead?"

"No." 

"Come on, we've poked her a million times. She has to be dead."

Groaning, Jaz cracked an eyelid open, staring at her kids looking down at her, and Jesse's finger ready to poke his mother...again.

"What is it?" she groaned, burying her face under the pillow.

"Mom, our friends are coming soon." Jade poked her stomach. "Mom, it's almost noon."

"_Noon_?" Jaz sat up, her eyes wide in alarm.

"Yep," Brian said, popping the "p".

"OK, the three of you, leave. Your dad and I will be down in a sec." Jaz rubbed her eyes, and her kids, nodding, walking out of the room. Jaz turned to her husband and did the only thing logical.

She poked him.

Unlike herself, Walt was a light sleeper, so it was no surprise that he opened his eyes immediately, his eyes landing on the poker. "What, Jaz?"

"Almost noon. The Kanes are gonna be arriving soon, so get out of bed, will you?" Jaz rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom for a shower.

Twenty minutes later, the Stones were all ready. The kids had forced their mother to watch _Wizards of Waverly Place_ with them (not that Jaz minded—she loves Wizards of Waverly Place, especially since it has Selena Gomez) while their father made barbecue.

The bell rang. Jaz reluctantly stood up and answered, and five kids immediately entered, yelling, "Hi, Aunt Jaz!"

Jaz rolled her eyes and smiled at the sixth and final kid. "Hi, Timmy."

8-year-old Timothy "Timmy" Kane stared at his "aunt" while wide startling amber eyes. "Hi, Aunt Jaz," he said in a shy voice. He smiled at her slightly and entered.

Zia Kane, née Rashid, smiled sheepishly at her best friend. "Sorry about my kids. They were very excited to see your kids, and, well..." She shrugged. Jaz laughed.

"It's fine, Z. My kids were poking me for about half an hour for me to get up and get ready."

Sadie Kane grimaced. "At least _they_ were only poking you, Jaz. _My_ kids unleashed a bunch of angry skeletons at me because I absolutely refused to get out of bed."

"You got to admit that was pretty funny," Anubis pointed out, fighting back a smirk. Sadie glared at him.

"Come on, let's get inside and not let poor Walt be overwhelmed with nine kids."

So the four magicians and god entered the house, and here is what they saw.

11-year-old Diana Kane was laughing her head off as her twin sister, 11-year-old Janice "Janie" Kane, and Brian were wrestling on the floor.

10-year-old Julius Kane II and Jesse were talking and snickering.

9-year-old Ruby Kane was shaking her head as her cousin, 9-year-old Adrian Kane, tried to get Jade off his back.

In fact, the only kid who wasn't going crazy was Timmy, who was calmly watching TV.

"GUYS, DO YOU WANT BARBECUE OR NOT?" Walt yelled from the patio. All the kids ran outside, the adults following, laughing.

###

That night, when Walt crawled into bed next to his wife, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "Do you remember that, sixteen years ago, we were just some thieves in ripped up jeans trying to save the world?"

Jaz nodded. "Remember that I was hopelessly in love with you and you were too blind to notice?"

Walt chuckled. "And then the day Sadie chose Anubis...I went to you for comfort...and you comforted me pretty darn well."

Jaz giggled and nuzzled his neck. "I love you, Walt."

"I love you too, Jaz." Walt pulled her close, and his last thought before he fell asleep was, _Jaz, I know I can run into your arms when my world is crashing all around my feet, breathless._

*::*::*

**Replies to reviewers:**

**To Broadway4eva: To know why the slight mentions of Jarter—read FlameTamer16's profile, and go to her stories she's working on.**

**To HuntressofArtemis101: Hey, Jaz is a great character. And the reason the Jaz inside of me is falling in love with Carter is because of a certain RP...but if I owned the Kane Chronicles, she wouldn't leave. She's a great character.**

**To FlameTamer16: Glad I took away part of your hatred for Jalt. And thanks! I always liked Jaz because, really, how many blond cheerleaders are as nice as Jaz? And I totally agree: SHANIA FTW! *high-fives***

**Jalt's kids:**

**Brian Stone: 11-year-old son of Walter and Jasmine Stone. Older brother of Jesse and Jade Stone. Buzz-cut dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, and coffee-bean skin. Charm maker.**

**Jesse Stone: 10-year-old son of Walter and Jasmine Stone. Younger brother of Brian Stone and older brother of Jade Stone. Buzz-cut dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. Wind elementalist.**

**Jade Stone: 9-year-old daughter of Walter and Jasmine Stone. Younger sister of Brian and Jesse Stone. Short blond hair, dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. Healer.**

**Zarter's kids:**

**Diana Kane: 11-year-old daughter of Carter and Zia Kane. Older twin sister of Janice "Janie" Kane and older sister of Adrian and Timothy "Timmy" Kane. Short black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and caramel skin. Water elementalist.**

**Janice "Janie" Kane: 11-year-old daughter of Carter and Zia Kane. Younger twin sister of Diana Kane and older sister of Adrian and Timothy "Timmy" Kane. Short black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and caramel skin. Charm maker.**

**Adrian Kane: 9-year-old son of Carter and Zia Kane. Younger brother of Diana and Janice "Janie" Kane and older brother of Timothy "Timmy" Kane. Curly brown hair, startling amber eyes, and mocha skin. Animal charmer.**

**Timothy "Timmy" Kane: 8-year-old son of Carter and Zia Kane. Younger brother of Diana, Janice "Janie", and Adrian Kane. Curly brown hair, startling amber eyes, and mocha skin. Healer.**

**Sanubis's kids:**

**Julius Kane II: 10-year-old son of Sadie Kane and Anubis. Older brother of Ruby Kane. Tousled black hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. Necromancer.**

**Ruby Kane: 9-year-old daughter of Sadie Kane and Anubis. Younger sister of Julius Kane II. Long caramel skin, chocolate brown eyes, and tanned skin. Diviner.**


End file.
